Katharine L. Diehl, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah
Katharine grew up near Augusta, GA, where she lived until moving to North Carolina in 2006 to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Johnston Scholar. At UNC, she completed her B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in German and performed research on dynamic combinatorial chemistry in the lab of Prof. Marcey Waters. After graduating in 2010, she moved to Austin, TX to pursue her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin under the supervision of Prof. Eric Anslyn. For her doctoral work, she developed an array-based chemical sensing platform for glycerides and discovered a new reversible “click” reaction.
In 2015 she became a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University in the lab of Prof. Tom Muir. Here she investigated regulatory mechanisms of chromatin modifying enzymes, including poly(ADP-ribose)polymerases (PARPs) and the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) using biochemical and cell-based approaches. In 2019 she joined the University of Utah as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry.
Curriculum Vitae
Faculty Page – Utah MedChem
LinkedIn Profile
PubMed Author Page
NIH Investigator Profile
Google Scholar Profile
Twitter FeedJoe Smith
Laboratory Specialist
Joe grew up in Michigan, where he went to college in the cold icy north at Michigan Technological University. He got a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and studied cell signaling under oxidative stress conditions when he was not busy skiing. After college he moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan where he met his wife and worked for a company purifying proteins. After his wife graduated from medical school, they moved to Utah for her residency. Joe tried his hand at teaching for a couple years and realized that lab work is way more fun. His current project is developing genetically-encodable biosensors for metabolites. When he is not in the lab, Joe likes to spend his time trying as many things outdoors as he can, including road and mountain biking, alpine and backcountry skiing, fly fishing, climbing, and backpacking.
Nick Pederson
Laboratory Specialist
Nick grew up in Hawaii where he spent his free time at the beach or open water swimming. He then moved to the Pacific Northwest where he attended Western Washington University. During his undergraduate degree, he developed an interest in the molecular basis of life. This sparked his curiosity towards biochemistry research where he investigated protein interactions. While living in Washington he determined that he wants to live by the mountains, and this is one of the reasons he relocated to Salt Lake City. Currently, he works with the Diehl Group investigating post translational modifications of DNA histones and the enzymes responsible for these modifications. Nick also loves the outdoors and spends his winters alpine skiing and summers long-distance backpacking.
Garrison Nickel
Graduate Student (Biological Chemistry Program)
Garrison is originally a native of Idaho, where his high school experiences of dissecting cow hearts and looking at bacteria under microscopes taught him how interesting biology could be. He received his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Brigham Young University in 2020, where he worked with Dr. Steven Castle on developing organic radical cyclization reactions initiated by microwave irradiation. He then moved to the University of Utah’s Biological Chemistry program for his doctoral work, where he joined the Diehl lab. He currently works on identifying reader/writer domains of the histone remodification enzymes responsible for noncanonical histone marks, including lactylation. Garrison is a self-described “super geek” who loves to play complex strategy board games and enjoys weekly Dungeons and Dragons adventures. He is also an avid pianist with a particular fondness for Beethoven’s piano sonatas.
Faheem
Graduate Student (Biological Chemistry Program)
Faheem grew up in Chennai, India, where he received his bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences. He then received his master’s degree in pharmaceutical chemistry from BITS Pilani, India. During his time at BITS Pilani, Faheem worked in the lab of Dr. Murugesan, where he designed and synthesized novel beta-carboline analogs as potential antileishmanial agents. He then joined as a research fellow in a covid-19 project, wherein he worked with a multi-disciplinary team to repurpose approved drugs for COVID-19. After moving to the University of Utah for his doctoral studies, he became fascinated with chemical biology and thus decided to work with Dr. Katharine Diehl. He currently uses chemical biology tools to study histone post-translational modifications. During his free time, Faheem loves to spend time outdoors, playing soccer, running, and hiking.
Austin Ablicki
Graduate Student (Biological Chemistry Program)
Austin grew up in Western Massachusetts, playing various sports and getting his first exposure to chemistry. He attended Binghamton University in New York, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and a French minor in 2020. Austin developed his love for research while working on in-vitro tubulin labeling with Dr. Susan Bane. After college, he moved to Boston to work on the protein sciences team at a small biotech company, Compass Therapeutics, who focused on immuno-oncology. While working in biotech, Austin determined he wanted to pursue a PhD, which became a reality in 2022 when he relocated to Salt Lake City to join the Biological Chemistry Program at the University of Utah. Austin joined the Diehl lab and is working on testing and optimizing an acetyl-CoA biosensor. When not in the lab, he can be found traveling, hiking, alpine skiing, or playing ice hockey. He also enjoys rooting for his favorite teams and spending time with friends and family.
Dev Banerjee
Postgraduate Researcher
Dev grew up in India, where he completed a double Masters in chemistry and Bioengineering under varying weather conditions, from the extreme heat of Rajasthan to the monsoons of Mumbai. This enabled him to withstand the unpredictable nature of the Midwest, by completing a PhD in 2022 from the University of Toledo in Medicinal Chemistry. After graduation, his curiosity about the effects of the chemicals he made on biological systems made him decide to go all in on Chemical Biology, which led him to move to Utah. His primary work includes making as many colorful peptides as possible and finding utility for each one as a potential chemosensor. If he is not in the lab, he is usually back at home spending time with his wife and child, or in Vivint Arena, trying to catch the next basketball match.
Zora
Organic Matter Field Analysis Specialist
Zora began collaborating with Prof. Diehl during the latter’s postdoctoral research at Princeton in 2016, though her primary focus has actually been to expand on Prof. Diehl’s PhD work in chemosensing. Specifically, Zora has been implementing an expansive program of practical sampling while refining a high-throughput analytic workflow that can be utilized in the field.
This involves pre-screening of an aerosolized fraction of the analyte by a highly parallelized array of receptors that each convert binding affinity into a contribution to a complex “fingerprint” pattern of electrical signals in a dedicated processing unit. If this pre-analysis detects, at a low threshold, any organic analyte component that could be viably used in an exothermic reaction, the entire sample is immediately ingested into a multi-stage, deconstructive analysis and utilization cycle lasting 12-24 hours. By 2019, this workflow had achieved unprecedented volumes of analyte intake, exceeding previously-understood theoretical limits for such a compact system.
Current research directions include application of the sampling process to the unique natural and artificial organics of the Salt Lake Valley as well as a meta-investigation into why the exterior dimensions of the analytic machinery appear to have expanded beyond their original design specifications.
Diehl Lab Alumni
| Name | Time in Lab | Position in Lab | Current Position | Organization | Location |
| Anh (Christine) Nguyen Sorenson, PhD | May 2020 – April 2021 | Postdoctoral Researcher | Scientist I | University Clinics at ARUP Laboratories | Salt Lake City (as of May 2021) |
| Gabi Desjardins | June 2021 – December 2022 | Undergraduate Researcher | Taking a gap year after graduation from the University of Utah; plans to pursue medical school |
| Taylor Valentino | April 2022- February 2023 | Postdoctoral Researcher | Postdoctoral Researcher | Buck Institute | Novato, California |